


Ultimatum

by lachoy



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 12:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6079260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachoy/pseuds/lachoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you become Composer? Yoshiya wants to know and Hanekoma isn't sure he's ready to tell him. Too bad Yoshiya doesn't take no for an answer. A story about when Yoshiya was Yoshiya and Hanekoma loved a kid too much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ultimatum

“Nobody likes me,” Yoshiya says to him one day and Hanekoma lifts an eyebrow silently asking for an explanation. “My peers act as if they do and to my face, they say pretty things. But nobody actually likes me. They'll play nice because I'm a Kiryu. If I like them then maybe they can get something from me, but behind my back? They think I think I'm better than them. They call me names and make fun of how I look.”

Hanekoma shakes his head. Kids are mean, but Yoshiya isn't exactly innocent. “But you do think you're better than them.”

At that, Yoshiya smiles and leans his hands on the counter. “A little.” Most would be ashamed of their lack of modesty being brought to light, but Yoshiya only seems to gloat in it. “I really hate them. I honestly do. They don't like me because I have money but they want my money anyway. They don't like me because I get better grades than them, but they want my help with class anyway. Nobody likes me, but they do like what I can potentially offer. I hate people.”

“Yeah, that's how it goes sometimes but not all the time. The world ain't so terrible. You're young, kid. You can't give up on it just yet.”

“They think I'm weird.”

“Nothing wrong with being weird. People just can't handle what's different.”

Yoshiya stares at Hanekoma for a good while, eyes looking almost into him and even if he's just a human boy, Hanekoma knows this one is destined for something great. He can see the UG and even if it isn't exactly uncommon, Hanekoma can sense the amazing Imagination Yoshiya possesses along with the brilliant Soul. It's a terrifying combination and only one of the reasons why Hanekoma's keeping a tight grip on him.

But there's so much negativity. Too much for some kid so young. Yoshiya can see the Noise that feed off of him and he always points out how these ones are with him, but he's never been scared. He just looks off to the side, as a bird-noise sits on his shoulder and feeds on the negativity Yoshiya keeps spewing.

“How do you become Composer, Sanae?”

“Why do you care so much about this? You keep askin' me and you know I'll answer all the questions you got, but you're after something and I don't think I like this something you want.” Perhaps he'd been wrong with giving Yoshiya so much information so soon, but Hanekoma had liked giving him answers to his questions and nobody was perfect. Not even an Angel. 

“You don't like the one you have right now, do you?”

Hanekoma frowns because it's true. He doesn't. This is the other reason why he has been keeping tabs on Yoshiya and feeding him information. This current Composer doesn't understand what's best for Shibuya, keeps adding mess after mess to each Game. His ideas aren't sticking and so he will add ten more in hopes of something working. Reapers have tried to go against him, but it isn't working. There aren't enough Reapers around anymore and so the Game suffers more. It's a mess and Hanekoma knows he has to find a new one if Shibuya can keep going.

And Yoshiya would make a good Composer. He's young, but he's got a sharp mind. He's creative and talented, he has room for a lot of growth and that's why he has to grow more. The Game wouldn't do well with someone as closed off as Yoshiya is and the Composer position is hard. Shibuya needs someone ready for this and that isn't Yoshiya. Not right now.

“That's got nothing to do with your obsession over the position. Listen, Yoshiya, I'm doing this because...well, I like ya. You're a little bastard, but that's part of your charm.” Yoshiya smirks, definitely like the brat he is. “You're young. You've got a life to live, things to experience, people to meet, and you can't just tie yourself to the UG yet. I don't want to see you throwing away the chance to expand your world. I know you think it's hard, it's not any good, but—”

“What is there to experience?” Yoshiya cuts in rapidly and his smirk is gone. Hanekoma's never seen anger directed at him from Yoshiya but oh is he mad. Nobody needs telepathy to sense that. “Do you know what's waiting for me? More studying and more music lessons with some instrument I don't care about. More of my mother and father showing me off as I act like the perfect son. More of going to bed at seven and waking up at five in the morning to practice sword. You're right, this all won't last forever, but then I'll have to date a woman my parents have chosen for me. Then and then...and then I'll marry her and I'll have children because that's just what you do. I won't love them. I'll hate them. I know I'll hate them. I'll wish they're dead every morning I wake up because they've trapped me. I'll have some job I hate, with some woman I hate, with some child I hate, and how is that anything to look forward to, Sanae?” He isn't yelling, but the tone of his voice is demanding. Waiting for an answer that Hanekoma just can't give. One he doesn't have because he's a lot of things, but he isn't as all-knowing as his position seems to make him. Yoshiya doesn't wait for an answer for long and continues, “I don't get choices because everything is already waiting neatly for me. I don't want it and you have the gall to try to tell me I have to experience life? I don't have a life and I never will. It's going to be this forever and I don't want it. If this is living I'd rather be dead.”

There's a tight grasp Yoshiya has on his emotions, but Hanekoma imagines he would be screaming, fists banging on the table of Hanekoma's tea shop, if he could. The kid probably needs it, but Yoshiya definitely won't do it. and for once in his almost endless existence? Hanekoma doesn't know what to say or what to do. He's supposed to have advice, some wise words to offer a turbulent soul like this, but he doesn't. There's only one thing he can say: “I'm real sorry, Yoshiya.”

The smile on Yoshiya's face is cold, practically ruthless. “Not half as sorry as I am. I'll talk to you later, Sanae.” He gets up to leave, but before he does, he turns to Hanekoma. “How do you become Composer?”

“Please drop it. Please just go out there and try to live. Trying is better than just giving up.”

“But there's a way.”

“Yoshiya--”

“If there wasn't a way, you wouldn't be guarding it so much. Even if you won't tell me, I'll figure it out.”

As the door shuts, Hanekoma sighs and brushes a hand through his hair. He wants to believe that Yoshiya won't make good on his word, but Hanekoma knows better than that.

\- - - - 

Hanekoma hasn't seen Yoshiya in a week and it's bothering him. Yoshiya's schedule is usually tight with all the lessons and plans his parents set up for him, but he's has always found time to see his only friend. It's worrying that Yoshiya isn't here and Hanekoma has an idea what happened, a very distinct possiblity, but he doesn't want to think about it. 

A new Game is beginning and Sanae is preparing for the rush of confused players needing instruction. Even if it's only his job to watch over the Game, he likes to help out. He's a giver. Or maybe he's just too nosy. Either or.

As Hanekoma cleans dishes and pretends to act as if he's just another shop owner, he hears his door open and he stops what he's doing because no. He doesn't even need to turn around to know exactly who that is. The vibe is there and it's so familiar yet everything about it has changed.

“So how do you become Composer?”

It takes just a quick second and a torn look to pass Hanekoma's face as he turns to face Yoshiya, now a player. Now dead.

And Hanekoma has a pretty good guess how this came about. Why there was no news about it in the newspaper because no influential family would ever want this kind of knowledge leaked about their only child.

“You little bastard,” Hanekoma mutters, sounding tired as he places a glass down.

“We know you have two choices here,” Yoshiya says as he rests his chin on his hands that are propped up on the counter. His smile is sickeningly sweet and never before has he aggravated Hanekoma more. This might be what parents feel, Hanekoma thinks. “Either I'm erased which I think you mind more than I do or you help me become Composer.”

“You act like it's such an easy thing to do here, kid.”

“By yourself it's probably very hard and I probably can't do it alone. But I have your help, don't I? We can manage something, I'm sure.”

Hanekoma shakes his head with a smile. “You sure are giving me an ultimatum. I don't know whether to be mad at ya or be a little impressed you know just how to work me.”

“What can I say? When I want something, I know how to get it.”

Yoshiya's eyes are lit up and even though he's dead, Hanekoma doesn't think he's ever seen him more alive than right now. He's excited and he has no idea what he's getting himself involved in, but Hanekoma knows he doesn't have much of a choice. Such a good candidate for Composer doesn't come around like this and Hanekoma loves the damn brat. Erasure just isn't a possibility Hanekoma will accept for Yoshiya.

He just hopes that light in Yoshiya's eyes doesn't fade away as quickly as it came.

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm of the opinion that I DO think Hanekoma was grooming Joshua to become the next Composer, but I do think Joshua probably committed suicide and did it way before Hanekoma thought Joshua was ready. Hanekoma messed up big time with Joshua and he realized it too late and oops, now he had a mentally stunted Composer on his hands. Way to go, Hanekoma.


End file.
